Description

David Steen recalls: “When I was about 13 or 14 I used to go to a snooker hall in the basement of the boxing gym owned by Jack Solomons, the great promoter who brought top American fighters to England in the years following World War II; the Forties and Fifties when boxing was booming. Years later I returned to the gym in Windmill Street to take this photograph. The gangster hat suited the slightly seedy style of the place.”
Location: Soho, London
Year: 1972
Biography: Arguably the most famous snooker player ever, Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins was born in Belfast in 1949. At the age of 23, he became the youngest ever World Snooker Champion in 1972, at his first attempt in the championship. He wouldn’t win the title again for another 10 years, but it’s fair to say that he dominated the game for that decade and beyond. In comparison to the slow, thoughtful and deliberate play of his contemporaries, Higgins appeared reckless, but still rarely missed a shot. It was a style of play that snooker fans naturally adored, and he has influenced many generations of players since. But his genius has often been overshadowed by his behaviour away from the green baize of the snooker table. A prodigious drinker and gambler – even at the top of his game he would hustle for money in local snooker clubs – his hell-raising has only been matched by his close friend Oliver Reed. Still, he remains a sporting legend to many.
Print Type: Fibre-based Harman Galerie FB Digital
Printed by: Metro Imaging, London
Limited Editions: All prints are limited editions, no further prints are produced once sold
Bespoke: All prints are bespoke and printed to order, stamped and numbered
Presentation: Prints are supplied to clients flat in an acid-free box or rolled in a tube
Watermark: Watermarks will not be present on an original print
Copyright: © David Steen / The David Steen Archive